Came across this article about why so many books remain unread. I know several of the reasons apply to me, especially number 1. :)
Remaining Unread: The Top Ten Reasons We Don’t Get to Certain Books
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
2009 in Books
2009 book meme.
How many books read in 2009?
32 plus 2 I didn't finish until after New Year's.
How many fiction and nonfiction?
30 fiction, 2 non-fiction. I really don't read a lot of non-fiction.
Male/Female author ratio?
21 male, 13 female (two books were written by two authors)
Favorite book of 2009?
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch and Inkheart by Cornelia Funke.
Least favorite?
Temple by Matthew Reilly.
Any that you simply couldn’t finish and why?
Fan-Tan by Marlon Brando, partly because I didn't have time to finish it before I left Australia to go back to Norway and I didn't have room in my backpack to take it with me, and partly because it wasn't all that good.
Oldest book read?
They Came to Baghdad by Agatha Christie (1951)
Newest?
The Doomsday Prophecy by Scott Mariani (12 January 2009)
Longest and shortest book titles?
Longest: Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
Shortest: Temple
Longest and shortest books?
I didn't keep track of the number of pages in the books I read in Australia, but longest has to be The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters by G.W. Dahlquist. The shortest is probably L'oeil du loup by Daniel Pennac.
How many books from the library?
None... The books on my own shelves will last me a long time.
Any translated books?
3 translated from English to Norwegian and 1 from German to English.
Most read author of the year, and how many books by that author?
3 books by Scott Mariani, 2 by Neil Gaiman, 2 by Rosamunde Pilcher, 2 by Janet Evanovich and 2 by Clive Cussler.
Any re-reads?
Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher. I love reading that book over Christmas (started it in December 2008, but didn't finish it until January).
Favorite character of the year?
Locke Lamora from The Lies of Locke Lamora and Dustfinger from Inkheart.
Which countries did you go to through the page in your year of reading?
Oh dear. I don't remember all of them, but here are some: Scotland, England, USA, Australia, Italy, Germany, Iraq, Greece, Israel, Austria, Slovenia, France, Switzerland, Peru, Camorr, Discworld.
Which book wouldn’t you have read without someone’s specific recommendation?
I don't think anyone specifically recommended any of the books, but I had heard good things about some of them on BookCrossing, and would probably not have checked them out if not for that.
Which author was new to you in 2009 that you now want to read the entire works of?
Cornelia Funke
Which books are you annoyed you didn’t read?
I'm not annoyed, but I wish I had gotten around to finishing Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.
Did you read any books you have always been meaning to read?
Define "always". There were a couple I had been planning to read for maybe two or three years, but no longer than that.
How many books read in 2009?
32 plus 2 I didn't finish until after New Year's.
How many fiction and nonfiction?
30 fiction, 2 non-fiction. I really don't read a lot of non-fiction.
Male/Female author ratio?
21 male, 13 female (two books were written by two authors)
Favorite book of 2009?
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch and Inkheart by Cornelia Funke.
Least favorite?
Temple by Matthew Reilly.
Any that you simply couldn’t finish and why?
Fan-Tan by Marlon Brando, partly because I didn't have time to finish it before I left Australia to go back to Norway and I didn't have room in my backpack to take it with me, and partly because it wasn't all that good.
Oldest book read?
They Came to Baghdad by Agatha Christie (1951)
Newest?
The Doomsday Prophecy by Scott Mariani (12 January 2009)
Longest and shortest book titles?
Longest: Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
Shortest: Temple
Longest and shortest books?
I didn't keep track of the number of pages in the books I read in Australia, but longest has to be The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters by G.W. Dahlquist. The shortest is probably L'oeil du loup by Daniel Pennac.
How many books from the library?
None... The books on my own shelves will last me a long time.
Any translated books?
3 translated from English to Norwegian and 1 from German to English.
Most read author of the year, and how many books by that author?
3 books by Scott Mariani, 2 by Neil Gaiman, 2 by Rosamunde Pilcher, 2 by Janet Evanovich and 2 by Clive Cussler.
Any re-reads?
Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher. I love reading that book over Christmas (started it in December 2008, but didn't finish it until January).
Favorite character of the year?
Locke Lamora from The Lies of Locke Lamora and Dustfinger from Inkheart.
Which countries did you go to through the page in your year of reading?
Oh dear. I don't remember all of them, but here are some: Scotland, England, USA, Australia, Italy, Germany, Iraq, Greece, Israel, Austria, Slovenia, France, Switzerland, Peru, Camorr, Discworld.
Which book wouldn’t you have read without someone’s specific recommendation?
I don't think anyone specifically recommended any of the books, but I had heard good things about some of them on BookCrossing, and would probably not have checked them out if not for that.
Which author was new to you in 2009 that you now want to read the entire works of?
Cornelia Funke
Which books are you annoyed you didn’t read?
I'm not annoyed, but I wish I had gotten around to finishing Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.
Did you read any books you have always been meaning to read?
Define "always". There were a couple I had been planning to read for maybe two or three years, but no longer than that.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Booking Through Thursday
The northern hemisphere, at least, is socked in by winter right now… So, on a cold, wintry day, when you want nothing more than to curl up with a good book on the couch … what kind of reading do you want to do?
In the weeks leading up to Christmas I like reading Christmas-themed books; you know, the ones with love and family and miracles that make you feel warm and fuzzy inside just because it's Christmas. Through the rest of winter I like to curl up on my exceptionally comfy sofa with a blanket and a huge book of some sorts. I find winter a great season for historical fiction (especially gothic), epic fantasy and general thrillers. Oh, and Harry Potter.
Examples of "winter books" are The Historian, The Thirteenth Tale, The Other Boleyn Girl, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Jim Rollins' Sigma series and Scott Lynch's The Gentleman Bastard sequence.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Read in April
8) Cyclops by Clive Cussler
Read: 21 March - 1 April
Pages: 473
Rating: 4
Good, old-fashioned Dirk Pitt adventure including Russian villains, a beautiful woman, a catastrophe to prevent and a hidden treasure. I missed Al Giordino through most of the book and never really warmed to Jessie LeBaron. I liked the endig, though. Far from the best Pitt adventure, but decent entertainment.
9) Bienes hemmelige liv av Sue Monk Kidd
Lest: 1. april - 10. april
Sider: 378
Karakter: 4
Read: 21 March - 1 April
Pages: 473
Rating: 4
Good, old-fashioned Dirk Pitt adventure including Russian villains, a beautiful woman, a catastrophe to prevent and a hidden treasure. I missed Al Giordino through most of the book and never really warmed to Jessie LeBaron. I liked the endig, though. Far from the best Pitt adventure, but decent entertainment.
9) Bienes hemmelige liv av Sue Monk Kidd
Lest: 1. april - 10. april
Sider: 378
Karakter: 4
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Read in March
7) The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
Read: 18 February - 19 March
Pages: 719
Rating: 6
Only finished one book this month, but it was a great one. Exciting, funny and somewhat scary (I don't think a book has ever caused me to experience vertigo before), with colourful characters set in a world I could easily picture. Locke Lamora is a charming and witty conman with a good heart, leading an equally charming and witty band of young criminals who con rich people out of their money because it's what they do best. Engaging characters, black magic, scary villains, an interesting world and a clever plot, this is "a story of adventure, loyalty, and survival that is one part Robin Hood, one part Ocean's Eleven, and entirely enthralling..." (fantasticfiction.co.uk) What's not to love?
Read: 18 February - 19 March
Pages: 719
Rating: 6
Only finished one book this month, but it was a great one. Exciting, funny and somewhat scary (I don't think a book has ever caused me to experience vertigo before), with colourful characters set in a world I could easily picture. Locke Lamora is a charming and witty conman with a good heart, leading an equally charming and witty band of young criminals who con rich people out of their money because it's what they do best. Engaging characters, black magic, scary villains, an interesting world and a clever plot, this is "a story of adventure, loyalty, and survival that is one part Robin Hood, one part Ocean's Eleven, and entirely enthralling..." (fantasticfiction.co.uk) What's not to love?
Monday, June 29, 2009
Read in February
3) The Godwulf Manuscript by Robert B. Parker
Read: 28 January - 2 February
Pages: 204
Rating: 4
First in the Spenser series.
4) National Treasure: Book of Secrets by Ann Lloyd
Read: 2 - 3 February
Pages: 144
Rating: 4
Quick, easy to read novelisation of the movie (which I love). This is intended for younger readers, and I'm sure they will find it exciting, but as an adult I would have like to see the story a bit more fleshed out. As it is, it's simply a retelling of the movie (did I mention I love the movie?), no more, no less (except for Mitch Wilkinson's death, which is decidedly less).
5) 1st To Die by James Patterson
Read: 4 - 12 February
Pages: 462
Rating: 5
First in the Women's Murder Club series. Good crime novel with some obvious and some less obvious plot twists. I really like the characters, though Lindsay's constant crying irritates me no end (can I blame it on a male writer trying to "soften" the tough police woman?).
6) De kom til Bagdad av Agatha Christie
Read: 13 - 17 February
Pages: 209
Rating: 4
Passelig spennende spionroman fra 50-tallet med et stort persongalleri og en stemningsfull setting.
Read: 28 January - 2 February
Pages: 204
Rating: 4
First in the Spenser series.
4) National Treasure: Book of Secrets by Ann Lloyd
Read: 2 - 3 February
Pages: 144
Rating: 4
Quick, easy to read novelisation of the movie (which I love). This is intended for younger readers, and I'm sure they will find it exciting, but as an adult I would have like to see the story a bit more fleshed out. As it is, it's simply a retelling of the movie (did I mention I love the movie?), no more, no less (except for Mitch Wilkinson's death, which is decidedly less).
5) 1st To Die by James Patterson
Read: 4 - 12 February
Pages: 462
Rating: 5
First in the Women's Murder Club series. Good crime novel with some obvious and some less obvious plot twists. I really like the characters, though Lindsay's constant crying irritates me no end (can I blame it on a male writer trying to "soften" the tough police woman?).
6) De kom til Bagdad av Agatha Christie
Read: 13 - 17 February
Pages: 209
Rating: 4
Passelig spennende spionroman fra 50-tallet med et stort persongalleri og en stemningsfull setting.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Read in January
1) Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher
Read: 1 December 2008 - 10 January 2009
Pages: 598
Rating: 6
One of my all-time favourites. A feel-good book, perfect for snuggling up with a blanket on a cold winter day.
2) The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
Read: 11 - 27 January
Pages: 518
Rating: 4
Last book in the His Dark Materials trilogy (a name I'm still not sure I understand). Not as good as the second, but a satisfactory, if somewhat tragic, conclusion.
Read: 1 December 2008 - 10 January 2009
Pages: 598
Rating: 6
One of my all-time favourites. A feel-good book, perfect for snuggling up with a blanket on a cold winter day.
2) The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
Read: 11 - 27 January
Pages: 518
Rating: 4
Last book in the His Dark Materials trilogy (a name I'm still not sure I understand). Not as good as the second, but a satisfactory, if somewhat tragic, conclusion.
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